Improvement in steam-radiators



J. R. REED.

STEAM-RADIATOR.

No. 176,056. Patented April 11, 1876.

r l J A ma ma )LFEIERS. PNOTO LITHOGRAPHEK WAsHXNGTON, 11c.

UNITED $TATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN It. REED, OF WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-RADIATORS;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 176,056, dated April11, 1876; application iiled January 22, 1876.

the purpose of warming buildings, and for analogous purposes; and saidinvention is more particularly adapted to be embodied in what are knownin the trade as indirect radiators, though it may be used in directradiators.

One object of this invention is to provide a more available andconvenient mode of connecting one section of a sectional radiator toanother by a singlejoint, and said invention is also designed tofacilitate the return of the water of condensation, and to insure aregular and perfect circulation of steam through all'pnrts of theradiator.

One part of the said invention consists in 7 the formation of thera-diatorsections with in ternal diaphragms having downward projec-'tions, in combination with the arrangement of the connecting-pipes onalternate sides of' said diaphragms, substantially as hereinafter morefully set forth.

Another part of the said invention consists in the construction of thesaid internal diaphragm in two parts, having an opening between them inthe middle portion of the radiator'section to allow the water ofcondensation to pass off more readily, and also in givin g a portion orthe whole of the saiddiaphragm a downward inclination toward the saidopenin g, substantially as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Another part of the said invention consists in the extension of theinner ends of the said divided diaphragm down to or below the levelestablished for the surface of the water of condensation, to prevent thepassage of steam down through the opening between the parts of thedivided diaphragm, while at the same time allowing the water ofcondensation to pass freely through the said opening, substan tially ashereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure 1 is a plan of a radiator, or a portion thereof, constructedaccording to my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectionot'one of the sections or steam-chain bcrs which compose my radiator,showing the internal construction.

A is the outside shell of a section of my radiator. These sections A maybe, and properly should be, studded with projections on their verticalsides, for the more perfect radiation of heat as now commonly practiced;but these projections are omitted in the draw; ings, because they arenot deemed essential to the proper illustration of my invention Each ofthese sections is provided with a diaphragm, B, extending nearly itswhole length; and I prefer to divide this diaphragm into two parts, asshown in the drawings, with an aperture between them at a, to allow thewater of condensation to pass through instead of traversing the entireroute followed by the'steam. The inner ends of the parts of thisdiaphragm B are curved or inclined downward, as shown? in the drawings,partly to more satisfactorily deliver the water of condensation, andpartly for other purposes, which will be hereinafter explained. I preferalso to incline the entire length of each part of this diaphragm Bdownward toward the center of the section, for the purpose, amongothers, of causing the water of condensation upon it to fiow morereadily to the center, and be there discharged, as above suggested. Theunder plate of the section is also similarly inclined for a similarpurpose. Said under plate of each section also has a more abruptdepression or well in it, as shown at b,

to form a small cavity or well for the temporary lodgmcnt of the waterof condensation, from which the latter may be conveniently drawn off,and also to allow the connectingpipes to be brought down, so as to bringthe lower part of their opening as low or lower than the upper surfaceof the main portion of the lower plate of the section, thereby relievingalmost the entire surface of this lower plate from any standing water ofcondensation, which might otherwise hasten the cod densation of thesteam inthe lower part of the section. The sections A have hubs orbosses 0 cast upon them to regulate theiu distance apart from eachother, and also to receive the connecting-pipes D, which connect thesections to each other.

These connecting-pipes D should be made of sufiicient length to onlyreach from the inside of one section'to the inside of the nextcontiguous section, and may be screw-threaded their entire length, or avery short unthreaded portion may be left in the middle to keep the pipefrom going too far into either section, and the hubs U, correspondinglycountersunk; or the screw-threads in the hubs may be cut with a. taperedtap to afford the same security.

It will be obserted, by an inspection of the drawings, that the pipes Dare placed on al' tern-ate sides of the downwardl y-projectin g portionsof the diaphragm B, as indicated by the positions of the hubs G in Fig.1, and also by the full and dotted circles in Fig. 2. The object of thisprovision is to compel the steam, though introduced through a smallaperture, to travel the entire circuit of each section, and theoperation will be as follows:

Steam being admitted into the radiator through a pipe from the boiler,(which pipe may enter-the radiator at the position shown by doi1r llines in Fig. 2,) will take the directions indicated by the arrows tothe pipe, (represented by the full lines in the same figure,) where itwill pass into the next section, and passing this time to the left tothe end of the diaphragm, and then to the right, over the diaphragm tothe end, and then under the righthand portion of it to the pipe whichconnects with thenext section beyond, and so on through the entireradiator in like manner. -When the steam is first introduced into theradiator a small portion of it may take a shorter route past the innerends of the divided diaphragm; but when sufficient water of condensationhas formed to fill the wells at I) up to the openings in theconnecting-pipes, it will also reach the descending ends or downwardprojections of the diaphragm, and the entire current of steam will becompelled to take the route already de scribed. At the same time thewater of condensation, which will fall upon the top of the diaphragm,will be deliveredthrougb the central opening between its parts withoutobstruci tion.

An exit-pipe, to return the water of condensation to the boiler, shouldproperly be attached to the back of the series; and it is recommended toincline the radiator slightly downward in that direction, so as .to givea more free delivery, and prevent any portion of the water ofcondensation from returning to the boiler through the steam-pipe, andthus obstructing the flow of steam.

Various modifications might be suggested,

which would more or less perfectly carry out my operating insubstantially the same way as the two downwardly-projecting portions inthe middle of the diaphragm, as already described; and various othermodifications could doubtless be made which would embody one or more ofthe valuable features of my invention; but,

the construction I have described I deem the best.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a series ofradiatorsect-ions having internal dia 'ihragms with downwardprojections, and pipes connecting the said sections, arranged onalternate sides of the said downward projections of the saiddiaphragm-s, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. A SlZQ2Il7=-IHdil-t01' section having an internal diaphragm, dividedin its middle portion, and inclined downward toward the said middleportion, either in the whole or part of its length, to more readilydeliver the water of condensation, substantially as hereinbefore setforth.

3. A steam-radiator section having an internal diaphragm divided in itsmiddle portion, substantially as and for the purpose described, theinner ends of the parts of the said divided diaphragm extending down tothe level of, or below, the lower portion of the aperture, for thedelivery of the water of condensation, substantially as hereinbefore setforth.

JOHN R. REED.

Witnesses:

/ THos. P. How,

EDWIN M. DONNELLY.

